Although born in Barrow, Grant Davies was a Welsh Youth international who started his professional career with Preston North End in October 1977 after a spell as an apprentice with the Deepdale club.

However, he didn’t figure in Preston’s league side and was then signed by Newport County in July 1978, where he immediately became a first teamer going on to make a total of 150 league outings, scoring one goal. He won the Player of the Year honour at Newport in 1982, but by February 1983 had moved on to join Exeter City on loan. On signing the Express and Echo reported:-

"CITY FANS can expect to see the best of loan signing Grant Davies during his one-month stay at the club. He intends to grab the opportunity of playing in the shop window of the Third Division with both hands to help his future in profes sional football. "I know I'm good enough and this is my chance to prove it," said the big cen tral defender, who joined City from Newport County last week. He knows there is virtually no future for him at Somerton Park, a sickening blow after 4½ seasons and more than 140 appearances for the Welsh club. And Newport do not run a regular reserve side SO Davies must impress in the six first team games at Exeter to draw attention to himself with the season tick ing away. He started his Soccer career as an apprentice with Preston and had a year as a professional at Deepdale before being released on a free transfer and snapped up by Newport. A 23-year-old married man who hails from Barrow in-Furness, he has played all over the field including goalkeeper as a schoolboy but is happiest at the heart of the defence, the position he will cover for City. He will continue to train with Newport at the start of each week but will come down to Exeter on the Thursday before a match to work out with his new team mates."

He was to play in seven consecutive matches for the Grecians, the first of which was in a 4-2 home win over Bournemouth. Davies had an opportunity to sign for Yeovil Town in the summer of 1983, but by that time had decided to have a change of career by joining the Police. He did, however, play for Risca United and then Cwmbran Town.